Manufacture of mouthpiece cigarettes



I Oct. 11 1 960 D. W. MOLINS MANUFACTURE OF MOUTHPIECE CIGARETTES Filed Feb. 19. 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN l/E N TOR .ALJ MLM+ ATTORNEY) Oct. 11, 1960 D. w. MOLINS MANUFACTURE OF MOUTHPIECE CIGARETTES 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 19, 1957 @Wai ju /47+ A TTORNE Y5 Oct. 11, 1960 D. w, MOLINS 5,

MANUFACTURE OF MOUTHPIECE CIGARETTES IN VE N TOR PEsMo/M 1K M01. in:

A TTORNE Y3 2,955,600 MANUFACTURE or MOUTHPIECE CIGARETIES .made by uniting lengths of wrapped cigarette trod with lengths of mouthpiece material by r'means of a uniting band which is wrapped and secured around the parts to be united.

For convenience a mouthpiece portion will hereinafter be referred to as a stub, which word .shall be understood as including any .portion (whether of the length required in a finished cigarette or double that length) of mouthpiecematerial that is suitable 'for incorporation in a mouthpiece cigarette,and may consist-of a piece of filtering'material, or a hollow tube, or any other-suitable piece of material (including tobacco) that is "different from thetobacco contained in the remainder of the'cigarette, or any combination of the foregoing. Well-known examples of stubs arethose often 'known as filterft-ips,

which are-intended to filte-r'the smoke. Stubs-areoften made of folded or bunched wads of paper enclosed in a wrapper.

Lengths of wrapped cigarette .rod suitable foruniting with stubs, and each of a length suitable 'foranfindividual mouthpiece cigarette, will be referred to herein as cigaretlteleng'ths.

The expression double-length stubfis to be understood as meaning astub which is double the length required in an individual mouthpiece cigarette.

According to the present invention there is provided, in apparatus for making mouthpiece cigarettes,-means for causing abutment between the members of. successive groups each consisting of .two cigarette lengths with a stub between them and for'feeding saidgroupsfendwise,

comprising uniting means to unite said groups, means to feed cigarette lengths and stubs -endwise in alignment, pusher-means to engage the rear face of the stub ofeach group, means to retard the group whereby the pushermeans, by acting on the stub, can locate the leading cigarette length in accurate timed relationship with the operation of the uniting means, feeding means operable after such location of the leading cigarette length to feed the latter at a predetermined speed, and means arranged to yieldingly urge the rear cigarette length and stub-to- Wards the accuratelypositione'd leading cigarette length and to maintain said parts in endwise engagement While they are fed forwardly by the said feeding means.

The said means to retard the group may comprise a pair of stationary surfaces between which the leading cigarette length is pushed by the stub. The saidpushermeans may be arranged to be withdrawn from pushing engagement with the stub, after the leading cigarette length has been located, so as to permit the rear cigarette length to be brought into endwise engagement with "the stub. The said feeding means may comprise a pair of rotatable members between which the leading cigarette length is'gri'p'ped and fed. For example one ofthe said members may be a conveyor for uniting bands, forming part of the said uniting-means.

The meausto yieldingly urge the rear cigarette length "arenrt 2,955,609 Patented Oct. 11 1%60 and stub towards the accurately positioned leading ciga- 'rette length may comprise a segmental roller whose opfeeding 'a stub into a space between the two cigarettelengths of a group. For example it may comprise a pusher mounted on a rotatable memberso as to engage a stub and push it through an arcuate path into said space.

Further according to the invention there is provided stub-pushing means in apparatus for making mouthpiece cigarettes, comprising a rotatable member, a pusher mounted 'on an arm pivoted on said member, and cam means to swing said arm so as to move the-pusher outwardly and inwardly relatively to the axis of rotation of said member, wherein the said pusher is pivoted on said arm and further cam means is provided whereby the pusher is rotated relatively to said arm, when the latter is swung, so as to maintain the pusher substantially par- .allel to the rear end face of a stub moving in a straight path.

Apparatus according to the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is aplan,

Figures 2 to 7 inclusive are diagrammatic plan views Showing successive stages in the operation of the device, and

Figure 8 is a front elevation, partly in section.

Referring first to Figures lto 8, a conveyor tape 1 conveysicigarette lengths 2 at spaced intervals endwise in the direction shown by the arrow. The conveyor tape 1 passes over a roller 3 and a stationary plate 4 is 'provided to support cigarette lengths and stubs which pass on to it from tape 1. A uniting-means comprisinga suction drum 5 is provided to apply gummed uniting bands to the cylindrical surfaces of groups of adjoining stubs and cigarette lengths 'so that these can be united. The

suction drum is arranged to carry uniting bands on its periphery "at regular spaced intervals, and to rotate at a constant speed. Thus it is necessary to arrange that each group consisting of a stub and two cigarette lengths to be united should be fed over the plate .4 on to the upper surface of thesuction drum '5 in correct timed relationship with the feeding of the uniting-bands so that the latter can be applied in proper register with the cigarette lengths and stubs.

A disc 6 with a coneaverim is located above the suction drum. 5 and is arranged to be rotated with a peripheral-speed equal to that of the drum.

A. further conveyor band 7, with which a further disc 7a co-operates, is arranged to continue at the same speed the feed of cigarette lengths and stubs to which uniting bands have been applied, and to carry them through folding and heating means by which the uniting As shown, three pushers 9 are provided, each being pivotally mounted on an arrn 11 which is itself pivoted at 12' on a rotatable disc 13. Each arm 11 carries a camfollowing roller 14 which runs'along the edge of a-fnted cam 15. Each pusher 9 comprises a tail 16 carrying a roller 17, which is pulled by a spring 18 against a flatsurface cam-member 19 which is fixed to the disc 13. The fixed cam 15 has a raised part 19 by which each arm 11 in turn is swung outwardly. This occurs when a pusher has just moved past the position of the pusher marked 9a in Figure 1. The effect of this swinging of the arm 11 is that the pusher is displaced outwardly from the centre of the disc so as to continue to move in a straight path, as the disc continues to rotate, and at a constant speed in that path.

As the arm is swung outwardly as just described, the pusher and its tail are rotated counterclockwise, as viewed in Figure 1, because the displacement of the pusher causes the roller 17 to run along the cam-member 19.

The latter is disposed at a suitable angle such that the rotation it imparts to the pivoted pusher maintains the operative part of the pusher substantially parallel to the rear end face of a stub which it is engaging and pushing.

Located above the plate 4 is a shoe 20, which for the sake of clearness is omitted from Figure 1 but is shown diagrammatically in Figures 2 and 3, and more fully in Figure 8. The shoe is pivoted at 25 and lightly urged about its pivot by a spring 26. The shoe 20 is spaced a suitable distance above the plate 4 so that a cigarette length passing between the plate and the shoe is lightly gripped by them so that unless it is positively pushed forward over the plate, its forward progress will be retarded. Accordingly the movement of the leading cigarette length of a group is controlled and timed by the pusher 9 which, having pushed a stub agains the rear end of the cigarette length, continues to move in a straight path as described above, and at a constant speed, and thus through the medium of the stub pushes the leading cigarette length forward against the frictional resistance of the plate 4 and shoe 20.

The shoe 20 has a tail 27 which is held by the spring 26 in engagement with a cam 28. Rotation of the cam causes the shoe to be lifted upwardly when the leading cigarette length of a group has passed beneath it, so that it is clear of the following stub and cigarette length.

The speed of the pushers 9 is less than that of the tape 1, but is the same as the peripheral speed of the suction drum 5, and the timing of the pushers is correlated with the spacing of the uniting bands carried on the surface of the drum. Thus the leading cigarette length and stub of a group are pushed forwardly by a pusher 9 in timed relationship with the operation of the drum 5, while the plate 4 and shoe 20 retard the leading cigarette length so that it can be properly located by the pusher acting through the stub.

The pushing forward of a stub, and the cigarette length preceding it, by a pusher 9, is illustrated in Figures 2, 3 and 4, which show how the pusher is gradually withdrawn from engagement with the stub while remaining parallel with the rear end face of the stub. Figures 2, 3 and 4 also show how after the stub has been inserted into the space between two cigarette lengths, the rear length R is advanced by the tape 1, which moves faster than the pusher 9 and therefore brings the rear cigarette length as close to the stub as the thickness of v 'between the suction drum 5 and the co-operating disc 6,

whereby it is fed forwardly at the same speed as that at which it was formerly pushed forward by the pusher 9 acting through the stub. Thus although there is no interruption of the feeding of the leading cigarette length,

the stub is momentarily free from any forwardly-feeding influence, since it is at that stage resting on the plate 4,

- R of a group.

and its further forward movement is effected by the rear cigarette length.

A segmental roller 21, shown in Figure 1 and also shown with dot and dash lines, in Figures 1, 6 and 7, is located above the plate 4 and has its operative peripheral surface covered with some suitable material, such as sponge rubber, to enable it to engage the cylindrical surface of a rear cigarette length frictionally and thereby push it along the plate. The roller 21 is rotated at a speed such that, when its operative part engages a rear cigarette length, it will move the latter forwardly faster than the speed at which the leading length is fed by the suction drum 5 and disc 6, and faster than the tape 1. Accordingly the rear cigarette length of a group is engaged by the roller 21 immediately after the pusher 9 has withdrawn from a stub, and is thus yieldingly urged forwardly to close the gap between it and the stub, and also to push the stub against the rear end of the leading cigarette length and thus close up any gap which may have momentarily developed between the leading cigarette length and the stub.

The forward feeding of the rear cigarette length by the segmental roller 21 continues until that length has entered between the drum 5 and disc 6. Although the segmental roller tends to move the rear cigarette length faster than the required speed, in order to cause it initially to overtake the stub and cause abutment of the whole group, after this abutment has been eflected the speed of the group is controlled by the feeding means formed by the drum 5 and disc 6, and the segmental roller 21 slips over the rear cigarette length.

The various stages described above are illustrated diagrammatically in Figures 2 to 7. In Figure 2 a stub S is seen being inserted by a pusher 9 into a space between the leading cigarette length L and the rear cigarette length In Figure 3 the pusher is seen having pushed the stub into endwise abutment with the length L, and pushing the latter, through the medium of the stub, over the plate 4 and beneath the shoe 20, which is in its lowered position, the plate and shoe acting as a brake to retard the length L frictionally. In Figure 4 the length L is seen having just entered between the drum 5 and the disc 6, while the pusher 9 is gradually withdrawmg.

In Figure 5 the pusher 9 has withdrawn, the length L is being fed forward by the drum 5 and disc 6, and at this instant the stub S is not being pushed forward at all, although for simplicity no gap has been shown between it and the leading length L.

Figure 6 shows the segmental roller 21 in dot and dash lines, this roller now having become operative and having engaged the rear cigarette length R to accelerate it to the position shown, in which it abuts the rear end of the stub.

Figure 7 illustrates the stage at which the rear cigarette length R is entering between the drum 5 and disc 6 to be driven thereby.

It will of course be understood that as the abutted cigarette lengths and stub move off the plate 4 they move into engagement with a gummed uniting band carried on the surface of the suction drum 5, and are pressed into engagement with this band by the disc 6 so that the band adheres to their lower surfaces. Further forward movement of the group thus united is effected by the conveyor 7 and the uniting band is then wrapped and secured about the stub and the adjoining end portions of the cigarette lengths, so as to form an assemblage. The assemblage is then subdivided by cutting through the stub to produce two individual mouthpiece cigarettes.

It is found advantageous to effect the timing of the leading cigarette length by means of a pusher operating directly on the stub, in preference to a pusher acting on one of the cigarette lengths, since the stub is less easily marked than is the end face of a cigarette length, and moreover the face of the stub engaged by the pusher 9 is not visible in the finished cigarette and hence any marking of that face by the pusher does not affect the appearance of the cigarette.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Apparatus for making mouthpiece cigarettes and' having means for feeding groups of wrapped cigarette lengths and stubs endwise in alignment, each group consisting of two cigarette lengths with a stub therebetween, means for causing interabutr'nent of the members in each successive group and uniting means for uniting each group, said apparatus comprising pusher means to engage in succession the rear face of the stub of each group, a pair of stationary surfaces arranged to retard the leading cigarette length of the group contemporaneously with said engagement, whereby the pusher-means, by acting on the stub, can locate the leading cigarette length in accurate timed relationship with the operation of the uniting means, feeding means operable only after such location of the leading cigarette length to feed the latter at a predetermined speed, and means arranged to engage the rear cigarette length yieldingly so as to urge the rear cigarette length and stub towards the accurately positioned leading cigarette length and to maintain said parts in endwise engagement while they are fed forwardly by the said feeding means.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said pusher-means is arranged to be withdrawn from the pushing engagement with the stub, after the leading cigarette length has been located, so as to permit the rear cigarette length to be brought into endwise engagement with the stub.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said feeding means comprises a pair of rotatable members between which the leading cigarette length is gripped and fed.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein one of the said members is a conveyor for uniting bands, forming part of the said uniting-means.

5. Stub-pushing means in apparatus for making mouthpiece cigarettes, comp-rising a rotatable member, an arm pivoted on said member, a pusher pivoted on said am remote from the pivot center of the latter, cam means to swing said arm so as to move the pusher outwardly and inwardly relatively to the axis of rotation of said member, and a guide fixedly mounted on said member and located so as to engage a part of said pusher so as to rotate the pusher relatively to said arm, when the latter is swung, so as to maintain the pusher substantially parallel to the rear end face of a stub moving in a straight path.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the pusher means comprises a pusher, a rotatable member mounting said pusher for movement in an arcuate path, said pusher means being situated so that the arcuate path meets the path of the wrapped cigarette lengths, and a guideway for conveying stubs to said arcuate path to be engaged by the pusher and urged into a gap between two cigarette lengths to form a group.

7. In apparatus for making mouthpiece cigarettes, means for causing abutment between the members of successive groups each consisting of two cigarette lengths with a stub between them, and for feeding said groups endwise, comprising uniting means to unite said groups, means to feed cigarette lengths and stubs endvw'se in alignment, pusher means to engage the rear face of the stub of each group, a pair of stationary surfaces to engage and frictionally retard the leading cigarette length of a group, whereby the pusher means, by acting on the stub, can locate the leading cigarette length in accurate timed relationship with the operation of the uniting means, feeding means operable after such location of the leading cigarette length to feed the latter at a predetermined speed, and means arranged to engage the rear cigarette length yieldingly comprising a segmental roller whose operative surface engages the cylindrical surface of the rear cigarette length while moving faster than the speed at which the leading cigarette length is fed by the said feeding means, the said operative surface being capable of slipping relatively to the rear cigarette length so as to urge the rear cigarette length and st ub toward the accurately positioned leading cigarette length and to maintain said parts in endwise engagement while they are fed forwardly by the said feeding means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,172,804 Molins Sept. 12, 1939 2,606,560 Molins Aug. 12, 1952 2,622,602 Molins et al Dec. 23, 1952 2,646,048 Molins l July 21, 1953 

